Falling In Love With "The Puppy In The Window"

Looks matter, of course they do, but it’s what’s inside that really matters. Any relationship advisor worth their weight will say ‘don’t be taken in by “love at first sight” because you don’t know what they’re like underneath.’ And the same is absolutely true when bringing a dog into your life. As a prospective dog owner, you can’t value aesthetics over compatibility and here at What Dogs Want we want to help you! By giving dog owners the information and education on the wants and needs for different dog breeds we aim to help owners better understand their dogs' behaviours and how to properly engage with them for the best outcomes possible. But, just like people, all dogs are individuals! It's not as simple as one rule for all dogs of the same breed - identifying the personal wants and individual needs of your dog is just as important.

Our idea is to give prospective owners the right knowledge at the right time to best select the dog breed that will fit with their lives! For example, don’t get a Border Collie - as beautiful as they are - if you cannot provide adequate physical and mental stimulation for them on a regular basis. They are the epitome of a herding breed; bred for herding livestock, and, as such, they need extensive walks and to be given problem solving puzzles that provide a full outlet for the herding behaviours bred into them. If these needs are not met, then unwanted behavioural issues will follow. They will get bored. They will get stressed. They will act out.

Our founder, Stefanie, puts it best when she talks about her inspiration behind starting What Dogs Want, the dog she adopted from a rescue: Indy. Indy was a shelter dog listed for euthanasia at Stefanie’s local county shelter, having been returned to the shelter by his original family due to behavioural issues. Stefanie immediately recognised in his behaviour an amazing temperament towards other dogs, people, and even cats - which was at odds with his labelled ‘behavioural issues’. She realised his traits came from his crossbreed of Sheltie and Corgi; smart and intensely curious. These had likely been mistaken for temperament issues by his first home, and had sadly led to his situation at the county shelter. With this in mind, she created simple games and activities for Indy, based on his needs, and watched him flourish. This led to the fundamental revelation upon which What Dogs Want would later be based: many dogs are surrendered to shelters, and possibly placed on euthanasia lists, for behavioural issues and how many of those issues were simply the result of the dog’s needs not being met? The mission of What Dogs Want is simple: prevent dogs from ending up in shelters by providing much needed enrichment.

In short, don’t go for the doggie in the window unless you understand exactly what you’re getting yourself into! Do your research, and both you and your future pup will flourish.

Written by C.W. Swan